Improper language and safety issues lead to suspension for North Okanagan teacher

By Jennifer Stahn

Image Credit: Shutterstock

February 17, 2016 - 4:27 PM

NORTH OKANAGAN - A middle school teacher is facing yet another suspension for not following safety protocols and using ‘inappropriate’ language with his students.

The B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation released a consent resolution agreement this week outlining issues the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District reported with teacher Karl Roderich Emde.

The regulation board notes several issues but points to two specific cases that led to the decision to suspend Emde’s teaching certification for five days.

In the first, a student was injured when her scarf got caught in a sander during a material explorations class in February 2014. The district points to Emde not making sure proper safety protocol was followed.

The student did not complete the proper written safety assessments nor did he tell her to pull back her long hair or remove her scarf. The district issued a two-day suspension without pay for that incident, which he served that spring.

In the second case, Emde was reprimanded for occasionally using ‘inappropriate and profane’ language with his Grade 6/7 materials exploration class. He referred to students as ‘idiot’ and ‘dumbass’ and used the terms ‘shit’, ‘damn’, ‘God’ and ‘ass’ during the second half of the 2013/2014 school year.

In October 2014, he was required to write letters of apology to two of the affected students and served a four-day suspension without pay. In November 2014, he also completed a boundaries course through the B.C. Teachers’ Federation.

In July 2015 Emde’s case was brought to the regulation board and a consent resolution agreement between the board and Emde was signed in January 2016. Under that agreement, he will serve a five-day suspension May 2 to 6, 2016.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.